And Then There Were Three
by Lena and Liz
Summary: Companion piece to High Heels and Dirty Deals. Maria goes into labor while Happy is out of town, leaving her in the not-so-capable hands of Kozik and Fish. Characters: Maria, Happy, Fish, Kozik, Vegas


**Disclaimer**: We don't own Sons of Anarchy or anything related to it. Any characters you don't recognize are our own creations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental. We do not own any music used in this story. All music is credited as it is used. We make no profit from this.

**Author's Note**: Hooray for a new one shot! Sorry it's taken so long to get it up. We're on a bit of an SoA kick, so hopefully we'll get a few more out in the coming weeks. We are in the process of editing HHDD. The first 7 chapters have been done, so we recommend going back and reading that again since we know it's been ages and you've probably forgotten what happened. You can check out our profile for updates on what we're writing if you're ever wondering. We really hope you guys enjoy this story! Let us know what you think!

**Backstory**: Happy and Maria are living together in Tacoma and are very much together. Juice stayed in Charming. Maria is 8 months pregnant and is maybe 23. Hap is probably 33ish. This takes place after High Heels and Dirty Deals, so if you have not read that, you probably should or you will be very confused.

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><p><strong>And Then There Were Three<br>**"_And now that the moment has come,  
><em>_the fears of the past are all gone.  
><em>_You know it couldn't be better.  
><em>_I swear by the moon up above,  
><em>_I'm feeling a new kind of love."  
><em>-"She's Having a Baby" by Dave Wakeling

**November 28th, 2002  
><strong>**_Tacoma, Washington_**

"A little to the left... bit more... perfect!" Maria clapped her hands together excitedly as Vegas stepped back from the painting now hanging expertly on the wall. "Honestly V, you keep this up and I'm kicking Hap out and letting you move in. He couldn't hang a picture straight to save his life."

Vegas smiled and picked up the tools from the floor. "Glad I could help. Anything else to hang up while I'm at it?"

She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers as she tried to remember where she had put another of her finished paintings. "Closet, right." Waddling to the hall closet, she slid out a beach painting and began searching for a place to put it.

"This one would look nice in the guest bathroom."

Raising an eyebrow at the input, Maria nodded briefly and followed him down the hall. "I have to threaten Happy to get him to do anything around here. And asking for his opinion on decorations is like asking an accountant to fix your car."

"Yeah, interior design isn't really his thing."

"But it _is_ yours?"

He grinned mischievously as he began marking the spots for the nails on the walls. "Don't tell anyone," he said with a quick wink over his shoulder.

Maria giggled and leaned against the door frame as she watched the man work. This was basically how the last two days had been going. Happy was away on business with some of the boys, leaving her in the capable hands of Vegas. She'd find menial projects or chores that Happy had never gotten around to doing, and Vegas did them without complaint. She wasn't sure if it was because he just enjoyed the domestic tasks, or because he was afraid she'd stand on a table to hang the pictures herself, eight month baby bump and all.

A knock on the door echoed through the apartment and Maria moved to leave the small bathroom. "You, stay. Finish," she ordered the large man while gesturing to the picture still sitting on the floor. "I'll get the door." She slowly made her way back down the hallway towards the front of the apartment, muttering tempestuously as the knocking persisted. "You try walking any faster when you're carrying a watermelon in your stomach." Opening the door, she rolled her eyes at the two almost childlike men in front of her, both laden with teddy bears and chocolates.

"How's our favorite pregnant lady today?" Fish asked with a large grin.

"We brought you presents!" Kozik added before she could respond to the other man's question.

"Guys, I've been pregnant for eight months. You can stop bringing me presents."

"Well, Happy said you were really moody and that presents made it better," Fish said innocently, inviting himself into the apartment followed by Kozik.

"He said I was moody, did he?"

"Uh, no?" The wide-eyed young man tried to backtrack. "He said you were beautiful and lovely and-"

"Shut up."

"Yes ma'am."

Maria turned to the seemingly more intelligent of the two and asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were hoping we could convince V to leave your side for a few minutes to deal with some shit at the garage," Kozik said sheepishly. "We aren't so good with the paperwork stuff, and it's sort of gone to hell."

Entering the room, Vegas shook his head and smiled sarcastically. "I told them not to leave you two in charge. Knew you'd fuck something up."

"Well, technically they left _you_ in charge, so if something is messed up when they get back, it's your fault."

Vegas glared at Kozik, who looked to the floor and scratched the back of his head. "My job is to watch Maria until Hap gets back. Those were my very specific orders."

"I don't need a fucking babysitter," she muttered angrily as she crossed her arms.

"We'll stay with her, no problem." Fish flung an arm over her shoulders and pulled her to his side in a tight embrace. Maria elbowed him sharply and moved to the couch.

Raising an eyebrow and smirking, Vegas replied, "I think Hap was pretty clear when he said, and I quote, '_Do not leave her with Fish or Koz because those two morons can't do anything right_.'"

"Hey!" Fish cried indignantly before being waved off by Kozik, who merely smiled at words.

"Yes, yes. But he said Fish _or_ Koz. But Fish _and_ Koz is like magic. We're the dream team. Ain't that right, Fish?" He slapped the lanky man on the shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly as he nodded in agreement. "We're totally up for the job," Kozik continued. "Just go deal with shit at the garage, take a shower maybe, whatever. We've got it covered."

"Yeah, and go get me some cookie dough and an order of onion rings." The boys sent disgusted looks at Maria as she rolled her eyes and stretched out. "Oh shut up. It's not the worst thing I've eaten."

Vegas sent a stern glare at all three occupants in the room before sighing in defeat and grabbing his jacket from the hook on the wall. "Fine, I'll go fix the mess you idiots left at the garage, but then I'll be back. Two hours tops." He slid his jacket on and walked to the couch, leaning down to place a kiss on Maria's forehead before looking her in the eye. "If these idiots manage to do something stupid, call me. I'm serious."

"Yes, boss."

"And you two." He stood up and stalked over to them, putting on his most intimidating face. "Don't fuck this up. If anything goes wrong, I will throw you two under the bus when Happy gets back, and he will kill us all. You don't leave this apartment. You don't let her out of your sight. You don't let her do anything strenuous. Understand?"

"Yes, boss," they chimed together, Fish adding in a mock-salute that earned him an extra glare.

Vegas stood staring for another moment before snorting and turning for the door. "I'm leaving before I come to my senses." The door shut behind him, and the trio breathed a sigh of relief.

"What does 'strenuous' mean?" Fish asked innocently, receiving only a shrug from Kozik and another eye roll from Maria. "What?"

"You're an idiot," she replied, leveraging herself off the couch. "I'm going to take a shower."

The boys shared a look as she started down the hall. "Uhm, are we supposed to help you with that?" Fish hesitantly asked, moving to follow her.

"Idiot!" Maria yelled, not stopping in her trek. "Go make me a sandwich. Think you morons can handle that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Maria took her time in the shower, letting the warm water soothe her aching muscles. Carrying around a baby was taking its toll on her body, especially when her brain had to focus on dealing with people watching her every move. Kozik and Fish took turns knocking on the door periodically to make sure she hadn't drowned, much to her annoyance. She just wanted a few moments of peace and quiet to herself, which was apparently too much to ask at this point.

When she thought the boys would go crazy if she stayed in the bathroom any longer, she turned the water off and yelled at them to get out of her room so she could get dressed, dismissing their offer to help her. After a few moments of tense silence as the boys waited anxiously outside the bedroom, Maria emerged looking somewhat more kept and shoved past them as they asked how she was feeling.

"Where's my sandwich?"

They ushered her into the kitchen to show her their creation. She could only stare at the mess they'd managed to leave in a matter of minutes. A small, pathetic excuse for a sandwich was all they had to claim as a result of said mess.

"Ta-da!" Fish exclaimed proudly, presenting it as though it were a masterpiece.

"I'm not eating that."

"What?" They shouted unanimously, looking at her indignantly.

"That's not how you make a sandwich. Besides, I think I want fish sticks instead." She moved to the freezer to retrieve the item in question, ignoring the boys as they sputtered out words of praise for their meal. Maria stopped suddenly as she reached for the box, a grunt of pain escaping her lips as she braced herself against the refrigerator. She glanced to the floor as a puddle of water formed at her feet and cursed. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I think your fridge is leaking," Fish said, oblivious as always. "Want me to fix it? I'm good at fixing things."

"Dude, I don't think that was the fridge," whispered Kozik in reply, pointing out the fact that her sweatpants were also wet.

"Oh shit..." The boys stared on in shock as Maria gripped the refrigerator harder.

"Guys?"

"Oh shit..."

"Guys! Focus." She turned around to face them, grimacing with every movement. "Fish, call Vegas. Kozik, grab the keys to my truck and help me downstairs." When they continued to stare at her dumbly, she sighed heavily. "Now!"

Seemingly jolted out of their stupor, the boys jumped into action, running around the small living room and muttering to themselves. Fish fumbled with the phone as he tried to pull it from his pocket and dial Vegas' number. Kozik looked around aimlessly, trying to locate the keys, until Maria pointed them out by the door.

"There's a baby bag on the floor in the nursery. Can you go get it?" She spoke slowly to Kozik, trying to keep him from freaking out. He nodded to her and quickly ran down the hall. Maria turned to Fish, who was mumbling incoherently into the phone. She could hear Vegas' loud voice demanding answers on the other end. Holding her hand out, she gestured for the phone as she moved towards the door.

"V, my water broke. We're heading to the hospital."

"_Give me five minutes, I'll meet you there and take you-_"

"No, V, the boys can handle it. They're handling this really well right now." She put a hand over the receiver as Kozik's frantic screeching came flying down the hall.

"I can't find it! Where is it? Oh god, oh god!"

"Koz, it's blue. Has a little teddy bear on it. Right by the door." Crisis averted, she turned her attention back to the agitated man on the phone, trying to ignore Fish as he paced rapidly. "V, listen. I need you to call Happy. Please."

"_Yeah, of course, sweetheart. I'll meet you at the hospital._"

"Thanks V."

She hung up the phone and handed it back to its owner. Kozik came skidding into the room, tossing the baby bag at Fish as he rounded on Maria.

"Do you need anything else?"

"Yes. Get me to a hospital." She headed towards the door slowly, the pair following behind her. She made it two steps out the front door before she had to stop, leaning against the wall as a wave of discomfort hit her. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and tried to tune out the rapid onslaught of questions coming from the men. "I'm fine," she answered after a moment, slowly standing back up. Before she could take another step, she found herself being swept off the ground by the tall blonde, who started down the hall with Fish trailing him. "Kozik, I can walk. Put me down before you hurt yourself."

"How about you shut up and let me be nice for a change."

She huffed, but was secretly very glad she wouldn't have to attempt the stairs in her current condition. "Fine, but not one word about my weight."

"Wouldn't dream of it, princess."

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><p><strong><em>Rogue River, Oregon<em>**

It wasn't like he was nervous or anything. Because he didn't get nervous. Not about anything. It wasn't his style. He was sadistic... coldblooded... murderous.

But fucking hell, he sure was anxious. That didn't make him a bitch or anything. Men could definitely get anxious. Dammit, he had every right to be. Because Maria was in Washington.

And he was here, in fucking Rogue River, Oregon. Six and half hours away from his unborn child.

Not that he cared or anything. It's just a baby, no big deal. Except it's his baby.

Their baby.

But she could take care of herself. And Vegas was there to help her if anything went wrong.

Like she went into labor early or collapsed or whatever complications can happen with pregnant chicks.

Hell, he was nervous, but he'd never tell anyone that. He would, however, smash the face of the next person that told him to relax, because that was seriously grating on his nerves.

"Relax, dude. Baby won't be here for another month." Bronne slapped him on the back encouragingly. "Besides, some time away will do you good."

_Fucker._

Happy only glared in response and returned to his previous activity of staring out the window. Why the hell was this meeting taking so long? He couldn't even remember what they were here for in the first place. It was obvious that his head was anywhere but focused on his club duties at the moment, and for good reason.

"Hap, Vegas is with Maria. He said he would call if anything happened. Don't worry, man. Everything is gonna be fine."

No sooner had the words left his mouth, a shrill ringing pierced the silence of the room. Happy dug into his pocket to retrieve the phone, glaring first at the small screen then at Bronne when the name 'Vegas' appeared on the caller ID.

Bronne gave him a sheepish look for seemingly jinxing the situation, then tried to cover it up with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure everything is-"

"Shut up." Happy opened the phone and brought it to his ear, hoping the news on the other end of the line was nothing bad. "Yeah, V. What's up?"

_"Brother, you're gonna want to get back here ASAP."_

"What happened?"

"_Maria just went into labor. She's at the hospital now."_

"What? She's not due for another month. It's too early."

"_Babies come early all the time. Look, I have to get in there. Just get here as soon as you can."_

"Yeah, I'll be there in six hours." Happy hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket with a grunt before heading towards the front door.

"What's happening?" Bronne asked as he jogged after the vice president. "And where are you going?"

"My girl is about to have a fucking baby, where do you think I'm going?"

"Wait, right now?"

"Yes, right now." The man stormed out the door before Bronne could gather anymore information.

"Wait for me, damn it!" He turned and sprinted down the hall to the room where Boss was currently talking with the Rogue River charter president and banged on the door, then stuck his head into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, Boss, but Mia just went into labor. Hap and I are headed back to Tacoma."

The club president nodded with a smile before replying, "Make sure you keep an eye on him. Maria will kill us all if he gets arrested and misses everything."

Bronne grinned at the mental picture, then retracted himself from the room and dashed out of the building. With a quick shout to Mack and King, who were seated out front playing cards, Bronne and Happy were on their way to Tacoma.

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><p><strong><em>Tacoma, Washington<em>**

"Where is Happy? I'm gonna kill that stupid son of a bitch! This is all his fault!" She screamed in agony as another contraction tore through her body, increasing the pain tenfold.

"I called him, sweetheart," Vegas said sympathetically. "He'll be here as soon as he can. He probably got stopped by the cops for driving too fast."

"He needs to get here now!"

"He was in Oregon. Give the man some time. He'll be here."

As Maria laid in a bed at Tacoma General Hospital, there were two things that she could be very certain of. The first, Happy was a dead man if he ever showed up, since it was his fault she was in this situation anyways.

And the second, labor was a total bitch.

"I swear to God, V. If they don't cut this baby out of me in the next ten minutes, I'll do it myself." Vegas laughed softly at her threat, which only furthered her outrage. "Don't you dare laugh at me, Mark Andrew Jacobs. I'm a severely pissed off pregnant woman in a severe amount of pain. I will _end_ you." He laughed openly at this and held her hand tightly as another contraction hit her.

Less than six hours later, Happy and Bronne came to a screeching halt in the parking lot outside of the county hospital. Bronne would be forever grateful that they hadn't been stopped by any cops on the drive up – Happy's current mood of annoyance and anxiety would surely have gotten them arrested. The club's treasurer had to jog to keep up with his friend's quick pace as they entered the main lobby, where they were met by Fish, who took one look at Happy's expression, then motioned for the pair to follow him. They made it to the fourth floor, where Elaine and Beth were seated in a waiting area just outside the hallway marked for maternity patients. An anxious Kozik stopped his pacing nearby as the trio entered.

"What room?" Happy growled at Fish, barely slowing his stride as he tried to gather the necessary information.

"Four thirty-two, but-" He was cut off as the door to the ward slammed shut behind the determined biker.

Happy kept his eyes on the numbers by each of the rooms, ignoring the two nurses that had jumped from their seats at the front desk the minute he had walked in.

"Sir! You can't be back here. Only one family member is allowed in at a time."

"I'm looking for Ana Maria Navarro," he stated firmly, disregarding their previous statements.

"Sir-"

"She's having my kid. Where is she?"

The nurses looked at him in confusion and continued to block his path. "But there's already someone-"

Happy growled in frustration, his frayed nerves not able to keep a lid on his quick temper. "Look, I just drove six hours to get here in time to see my kid pop out. If I miss it because you two won't get out of the way, that woman is gonna have my balls. So either move or I will move you."

Two pairs of wide eyes glanced at each other quickly before scampering out of the way, watching in fear as the man continued on his previous path down the hall. A quick tap on the glass window leading outside to the waiting area had the nurses spinning around, a bashful Fish mouthing an apology to the women as Kozik cast worried glances after his friend.

As Happy ventured further down the hall, rampant spanish yelling floated to his ears from the last room on the left. He chuckled as he caught a few vulgar phrases that he actually understood and opened the door, immediately regretting it as angry, pain-filled eyes landed on him.

"You!" He backed up slightly as the woman glared at him. "You hijo de puta estúpida! Esto es todo culpa tuya. Cuando salga de esta cama, me voy a destrozar pieza por pieza. Nunca encontrarán todas las partes, porque voy adarles de comer a su perro estúpido!"

"What she means," Vegas interrupted, "is that she's very excited you're finally here, and she would like for you to come hold her hand." He smiled at Happy tiredly as he tried to pry Maria's fingers from the death-grip they had on his hand.

"I'm gonna break your fingers," she hissed at him ferociously as he hesitantly took the seat that Vegas had previously been situated in. "What the hell took you so long?"

"I was in Oregon. I got here as fast as I could. Besides, it's not my fault he's coming early. Can't you shove him back in or something?"

Maria opened her mouth to spout out an evil reply when the door opened again to reveal Doctor Christian Hodge, a jovial smile spread across his face as always. "So the nurses tell me that you're ready for some drugs."

"God, yes!"

What seemed like days later found a large group of bikers and women congregated in the small waiting area of the maternity ward. Juice, Tig, and Bobby had arrived from Charming less than a half hour before, excited that they hadn't missed the baby's first appearance. Many of the women from the diner had also come bearing more gifts for the newborn. The nearby nurses kept a weary eye on the group as it grew larger and larger.

When the waiting almost seemed to get the better of the impatient bikers, their Vice President emerged from a room down the hall and made his way to them, a light blue bundle settled securely in his arms. A large grin was plastered on his face as he entered the waiting area, his eyes never leaving the face tucked into his chest. The group rose from their seats as one and waited anxiously for the man to speak.

"I'd like to introduce you guys to the newest member of the SAMTAC family." He held the baby up a bit so that everyone could get a good look. "This is Dominic."

**END**

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: For those of you who are interested, Maria's Spanish rant roughly (very roughly) translates to: "You stupid motherfucker! This is all your fault. When I get out of this bed, I will rip you up piece by piece. They'll never find all the parts because I will feed them to your stupid dog!"

Let us know what you want to see next! Angry!Hap, Hap and the baby, jealous!Hap, babysitting adventures, angst, somebody getting arrested, fun, etc.


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